Former Indian wicket-keeper Saba Karim reckons Rishabh Pant is yet to find his batting template in the white-ball formats amid the ongoing IPL 2026. Pant was dismissed for a three-ball duck against Rajasthan Royals at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in the run chase of 160 on Wednesday.
Pant’s shot selection was questioned after he tried to play a slog sweep against Nandre Burger but was caught behind by Dhruv Jurel. The LSG skipper has managed only 147 runs in seven IPL 2026 matches at an average of 24.50 and a strike rate of 132.43.
Saba Karim said on ESPN Cricinfo, “The modern T20 batter has to find his own template – whether it is Shreyas Iyer or Rajat Patidar. If Rajat Patidar goes on to bat on a track like this, he’s got clarity in his mind that he will go and play the big shots and he is confident of doing so. He practices like that.
“Rishabh Pant’s problem lies in the fact that he is yet to find his template in white-ball cricket. I am not only talking about T20, even ODIs. During Test match batting, there is more transparency in his thought process, the way he prepares. Somehow, in white-ball cricket, he’s yet to find that,” the former India keeper added.
On the other hand, former South African skipper Faf du Plessis reckons Pant is trying to lead from the front like Shreyas Iyer and Rajat Patidar.
“Lot of teams are talking about how you must be aggressive, how you must take the game on. As a captain, you feel that responsibility lies with you to demonstrate that. Rajat Patidar is leading the way for RCB, so is Shreyas Iyer [for PBKS. The captain sets the tone. So, you almost can’t blame Pant thinking, ‘I need to do the same’.”
LSG will next take on KKR at Lucknow on Sunday.
